A Difference in Power
by SC-KoNi
Summary: An Anomaly is detected deep in wilderness space... A lone patrol force is sent to scout it out... What they find...will change everything... Not a 40k stomp to be exact, just wanted to show the difference in scale
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: The Maw of Doom**_

The inky black of space enveloped the ship like an icy blanket. Silently, they drifted through the aether, a faint glowing trail swirling behind them. Captain Anthony Baker rubbed his temples for what felt like the tenth time before reaching over his console. "Any new intel on the anomaly?" The gravelly voice of his information officer came over the intercom, "Nothing so far Captain", Baker heard the man give an audible sigh, "the 'portal' hasn't moved an inch since we first detected it, and none of our scans have revealed a thing. It's almost like this thing doesn't want us looking at it." Anthony sat up in his chair and reached for his mug. 'Damn, empty', he thought, regarding the brown stains at the bottom of the mug. He rubbed his temples again before turning back to his screen. "Alright Jensen keep at it, and try raising Alliance Command, they need to get a research team here", he said heavily. They had been orbiting this strange anomaly for three days now. "And tell them it's urgent…", he added putting down his empty cup. Officer Jensen gave a quick salute and the screen went blank. Captain Anthony gave a long yawn before getting up to pour another cup of coffee.

The sounds of alarms echoed through the ship. Anthony jumped up from his console. 'Just my luck', he thought smacking himself on both cheeks. 'Just as I was getting ready to take quick nap.' He quickly made his way to the elevator and pressed for the CIC. The elevator doors opened to scene of chaos. Ensigns rushed all around him and he saw warning lights blinking across the room. "Captain!", he turned to face Officer Jensen. "What's the situation Lieutenant?" The Information's Officer pointed to the hologram in the middle of the room. It showed a giant pulsing circle, a baleful force seemingly emanating from within. And the circle was widening. "The anomaly is expanding Captain, at its current rate it will reach us in a few minutes!" Captain Anthony gave a quick order, "Get the ship to a safe distance a call Command", he looked back at the pulsating mass on the hologram. The view made his eyes start to water. He turned away, holding back a sudden urge to retch. "Get me Admiral Hackett on the QEC, we need to take this higher." Jensen nodded and rushed to the comms room, Baker following him.

"Captain Anthony Baker of the cruiser SSV Maine reporting Admiral", Baker said, pulling a sharp salute. "At ease Captain", the rough voice replied, "What seems to the situation?" Baker pulled up the information they had on the anomaly. "Well Admiral, Task Force Epsilon first detected this…anomaly five days ago, and we have been monitoring it ever since. At first it appeared to be some form of wormhole, but we have observed very strange activity coming from it." Admiral Hackett narrowed his eyes as he looked at the recording, "Define what you mean by 'strange'." Baker tapped some keys and the picture of anomaly shifted to an energy diagram. "Well Admiral as you can see here, the anomaly has been emitting some form of energy from inside, what kind of energy none of my techs could say. It's not any form of radiation we have ever encountered, it seems almost magical." Hackett raised his eyebrows. For an Alliance Captain to be calling something magical was too absurd to be taken lightly. "Keep me posted on the expansion of this…..portal", Hackett said his gaze resting on the anomaly. "The Fifth Fleet has been notified and is en-route ETA is 10 hours. Hackett out."

_In Warp Transit +36 hours  
Temporal Anomaly detected….  
Warning…Temporal Anomaly detec…  
Warni…..Tem…._

Recommended Course of Action, Immediate Warp Exit  
….

…_._

…_._

_.Warning….Gellar Field failing…Catastrophic Containment Breach…..  
Emergency Warp Exit….Commencing…_

The Emperor Protects…..

With a sound like a thousand voices crying out in pain, the _Mantle of Valor_ breached the boundary between the Warp and real-space.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: A Meeting of Mice and Men**_

"We have a contact! Bearing 117…", the young officer sitting at his console gave an audible gasp. Baker rushed to him, sirens blaring all around him. "What is it Jake?" he asked leaning over the man's shoulder. "Sir…..the contact's coming…out of the anomaly!" Baker felt a chill creep down his spine. Whatever this thing was, he wasn't going to take any chances. "All hands to battle stations!" he yelled, turning his head back. "Message to all ships in Task Force Epsilon, battle stations!" He paused for a moment and looked towards the hologram of the now massive portal. 'And may God help us all….', he thought silently, the knot in his stomach tightening. And then the portal exploded.

Tendrils of aetheric power arced from within the portal, multi-hued flames licked across its boundaries. Its form convulsed and what seemed like screaming faces and howling maws appeared momentarily on the maddening shapes of the portals edge. Then in almighty explosion, a massive prow jutted out of the portal's center. A ship slid majestically towards the Task Force ships, energy coiling and writhing around it as it exited the portal. Then, it broke free from the tendrils holding it powering forwards inexorably. "What in the hell is THAT?!", Baker heard a voice pierce the sudden silence of the CIC. The ship was truly massive, he put it at over eight kilometers in length. The ship's armored prow loomed over the Alliance ships like a mountain, a two-headed eagle emblazoned on its front. Gothic spires rose on its back like the towers of an ancient bastion. Baker found himself staring at the dizzying monstrosity of the ships bridge which rose over it like massive citadel. Mighty thrusters and innumerable weapons dotted the ships baroque hull, massive barrels pointing menacingly from armored housings. To the eyes of the crew of Task Force Epsilon, it was quite simply awe-inspiring in its magnitude.

Baker was awakened from his stupor by a crackle from the ships intercom. "Captain!" he heard the voice of the comms officer, "We are being hailed, Sir! Its…the ship….Sir…." Baker swallowed, his throat dry. His voice emerged raspy, but he quickly regained his composure, "Put in on the main holo-screen." A static-laced image appeared on the hologram, the face of an ancient man depicted on it. "Can we clean up the signal?" he called. The image cleared slightly, and Baker saw the face was dotted with implants. The man's shaven head was enveloped in a mass of tubes and wires, and one of his eyes glowed a menacing red. Then, with a voice like grating glass, he spoke, "Greetings fellow human, this is Captain Merec Talthus of the Oberon Class Battleship _Dominatus Terra_. I request an audience with the commanding officer of this Strike Force."

"That would be me", Baker said with as much conviction as he could muster, "Captain Anthony Baker of the Alliance 5th Fleet, current commander of Task Force Epsilon." He felt the man's cold gaze pass over him, he fought to stop from shivering. "I see", the grating voice replied slowly, "Tell me…Captain Baker…what year is it?" Baker was taken aback by the question. "Uhm…it's the 15th of October 2184 by the Alliance Calendar." The ancient Captain's face seemed to turn pale at this news, his eyes red glow momentarily brightening. "That is….most troubling news….", the man said, visually straining to absorb the situation. 'Who was this strange man, and where…..or when…..had he come from?' Baker thought. He was about to ask, when his thoughts were interrupted by a yell from Jensen. "What is it Lieutenant?" Baker asked, turning from the hologram. "Sir! We have another contact from within the anomaly!" Baker twisted around to the hologram of the portal. Again, it seemed to be pulsing and convulsing. But something seemed different, the portal seemed to exuding a foul aura, a palpable feeling of rage and anguish swept over Baker.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: Terror Unleashed**_

"Captain Baker!" the old man's voice penetrated the silence. "Get your ships to a safe distance, you cannot hope to vanquish this foe." Baker turned to console once more, "What do mean Merec? What's coming out of the portal?" Baker saw the man look down, weighing how to answer the question. When he looked up, Baker saw his face show an imperceptible tremble of fear. "A creature of Warp, Captain. A terror made manifest, a hound sent by Dark Gods of Chaos to feed upon the very souls of men. What is coming out of that portal, Captain Baker, is a Daemon!"

A howling shriek exploded in the minds of all on board the _Maine_. Men retched and others fell to their knees in pain, yelling incomprehensibly. Baker grabbed the edge of the holo-console, struggling to keep from falling over. He felt his eyes water at the ear-splitting peal within his skull. Then suddenly, it vanished. He looked up awkwardly, and gasped. From within the portal emerged an image of unbridled madness. A heaving mass of flesh and bone, splintered teeth and gaping maws pulled itself from the frothing maw of the portal. A writhing, seething insanity, a nightmare made real by powers beyond mortal understanding. Baker was a veteran of many battles against slavers, pirates and renegades alike, yet now, he was petrified with fear. This was not an enemy any man could face, this was death….this was his death.

A writhing tentacle twisted from the mass and flashed towards one the Task Force's frigates. The vessel was enveloped by it, and without any sign of effort, crushed instantly into a mangled wreck. "SSV Gettysburg to SSV Marathon, do you copy! SSV Marathon, do you read!"

Baker snapped out his stupor, "Helm! Bring us about! Signal the Task Force to get away from the portal!" Thrusters fired and pushed the ships around, the crews desperate to put as much distance between themselves and the creature. All ships, but one.

With overwhelming majesty, the _Dominatus Terra_ turned to face the abominable daemonic creature. With a flash like an exploding sun, its batteries opened fire on it.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: Clash of Titans**_

Macro-cannon batteries opened up in a thundering salvo. Lances shot across the void. Mighty torpedoes sped towards their unnatural target. The creature reared in pain as vast gouges were torn into its vile flesh. Foul pieces were burned off by the impact of lance beams. Explosions tore chunks from its mass. Enraged, it lashed out with baleful balls of multi-colored fire. The balls impacted upon the Battleship's shields, enveloping it in twisting flame. But still, it pressed its attack, firing round after round, blast after blast into the abominations twisted form.

Baker watched in silent awe at the awesome spectacle before him. The CIC was eerily quiet, the sounds of alarms forgotten, as all eyes were fixed on the titanic duel. The sight was beyond anything Baker had ever witnessed, the colossal spires and battlements of the Battleship and in stark contrast the heaving, pulsating mass of the vile daemonic creature.

Suddenly, with a soul-piercing cry, the creature lunged at the noble ship. Writhing tentacles exploded out to ensnare its hated foe, coiling themselves around it. A corona of light erupted around the battleship as shields strained to combat this new attack. Cannons blazed and lances of blue light tore into the grotesque arms that emanated from the creature. A haze of bloody ichor filled the space around them, a miasma of foul essence exuding from the abominable creature's wounds. Yet it continued undaunted, battering the mighty ship with blow after blow. Then, with a flicker, one shield battery overloaded and died.

A coiling mass of feelers wrapped themselves maliciously around ship's massive armored frame, seeking to tear and crush it into oblivion. Baker gasped, as he saw spires twisting off and cannons being ripped from their positions. Flames blossomed from the gashes the creature tore into the noble ship. He could see puffs of white smoke as compartments were torn open. It was as a spiteful child, tearing the arms from a doll.

Then in a blaze of fire, the ship's mighty engines fired. Its armored prow swung around towards the grotesque beast before it, ripping tentacles as it tore itself free. Like the fist of a vengeful god it slammed into the infernal monster's flesh. The creature screamed as a mighty lance tore into it, its form shuddering under the impact. Desperately, it clawed at the ship's frame, trying in vain to stave off the brutal assault. In an explosion of gore, the battleship's massive prow ripped out of the creature's side. With the heaving mass now impaled upon it, the ship turned itself back towards the portal, engines blazing as it bore down on the vile gateway.

With flames licking its sides, numerous deep rends ripped into its battered frame, the _Mantle of Valor_ powered towards the infernal portal. The creature writhed and screamed, pounding and thrashing as ichor gushed from its gaping wounds. Tendrils smashed into majestic arches and were in turn torn apart by thunderous fire. Locked in a deadly embrace, the two mighty combatants plunged headlong into the gaping maw.

"Captain! Incoming hail!" Baker heard the voice call out of the silence of the CIC. "On Screen! Now!" A static-laced image came through on the holo-screen. The bloody face of Captain Merec Talthus appeared before them. "Captain Baker", his voice came strong over the speakers, booming across the room. He looked up, his red eye gleaming. There was no fear on his face, no pain, the man emanated a sense of unwavering duty. "This is the doom that Humanity faces in my time Captain", he said, "This is the darkness that threatens to devour us all, to plunge all that the Emperor has granted into a vile nightmare of darkness and chaos!" Baker felt the man's eyes bore into him. His gaze was like a hot poker in Baker's mind. "Take what you have seen today, and heed this warning", Merec's voice boomed, "Humanity must stand strong before this darkness, must never bow down or submit to this evil. If it takes our last breath, we will fight, if we must sacrifice all that we have, we will fight, if our bodies be torn and broken, we will fight. Take these words Captain Baker, and heed them well!" As explosions detonated around him, the bloodied Captain roared his defiance at the implacable foe.

"In the name of the God-Emperor of Man and by Light of the Golden Throne, I Captain Merec Talthus of the _Mantle of Valor_, **banish thee!**" The ship roared into the gaping maw. And in an explosion of light, it was gone.

The very air hang still in the silence of the CIC. Baker looked at his hands clutched around the console, knuckles white from the spectacle they had just witnessed. He turned slowly, "Get Alliance Command on the line." He closed his eyes, hoping to wake up from the nightmare he had seen. He took a deep breath, "Tell them what happened here…"


	5. Author's Notes

**Author's Notes**

Well first off a warm thank you for taking the time to read my first Fan-Fiction story. It's not going to be last trust me ^^

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the story and I would very much like to hear some opinions concerning the style and characters, so reviews would be most welcome.

May the Emperor watch over your steps.


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